Don’t be a Turkey on Thanksgiving

Guess which single day of the year has the highest number of cooking-related fires in the home? Well, if you read the title of the column, you would be correct if you guessed that it is Thanksgiving. It’s No. 1 by a long shot – three times the national average of fires per day, according to statistics from the National Fire Protection Association. But don’t scrap the idea of cooking this Thanksgiving and break out the peanut butter and jelly; just spend a few minutes putting safety on the menu.

Cooking fires are the No. 1 cause of home fires and related injuries. The annual average is 155,400 home fires per year involving cooking equipment, resulting in nearly 400 civilian fire deaths, nearly 5,000 injuries and more than $770 million in direct property damage. Remember, the highest number of these fires happen Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving can be overwhelming for so many people. With guests coming in for a family gathering, multiple items cooking in the oven and on the stove, it is easy to see how some items can be overlooked. To be a safe Thanksgiving cook, take the following safety tips into account.

Keep anything that can catch fire, such as oven mitts, towels and recipes, away from the stove top. It might be convenient, but it could also be a recipe for disaster. Have children stay out of the kitchen during times of high cooking activity. This can keep distractions and trip hazards to a minimum. Stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling or broiling foods. These dangerous cooking activities are not safe without supervision for any length of time. If you have to leave the kitchen, turn off the stove or have a responsible adult watch over it during your absence.

When simmering, baking, roasting or boiling food, check it at regular intervals. If you do step out of the kitchen, set a timer on the stove to remind you to check back often. These cooking activities are less dangerous and usually allow you to step away for short periods of time.

If a fire does break out, get everyone out of the house. Some move fast and others are not quite so fast, so the early warning is best. Close doors behind you to help contain the fire and call 9-1-1 once outside of the home.

If you are prepared to fight the fire, give the order for everyone to leave and keep a clear path at your back in case you have to leave in a hurry. Keep lids near the cooking area so you can easily slide them over the pan with your oven mitt or gloved hand. Turn off the heat to the stove and leave the pan alone while you assess the damage. If the fire is in an oven, turn off the heat to the unit and keep the door closed.

Safe cooking habits are contagious, so pass them on to others in your home who assist with the cooking detail. Let them know where fire extinguishers are kept and where the lids are on the counter. Enjoy your dinner.

Source: http://www.hometownlife.com/

Write a Business Plan

1. Problem statement.
Successful businesses share a common attribute: They do something useful for their customers. One way to determine what is useful for your customers is to identify and describe the problem that your business will solve. For example, a window washing service solves the customer's twin problems of wanting clean windows, but lacking the time or physical ability to clean windows him or herself.

2. Business description.
Your business description should explain exactly what you will provide for the customer, as well as what you'll exclude. Each of the choices you make in your business description will affect the amount of money you'll need to start or expand, and how much sales revenue you can expect.

3. Résumé of business accomplishments.
If you are looking for money from investors or lenders, they will want to be certain you have the experience, education, and desire necessary to make your business a success. This shouldn't take the form of a traditional resume, but rather it should be a statement of everything you have accomplished that has a direct bearing on your business objectives.

4. Marketing plan.
Your marketing plan should cover areas ranging all the way from determining how your business fits into the national and local economies to deciding what color your logo should be. Your marketing plan should describe your target customer, decide how to reach customers, analyze competing businesses, include a marketing budget, and discuss how you will differentiate your business from the competition. A good resource on how to market effectively is Marketing Without Advertising: Inspire Customers to Rave About Your Business to Create Lasting Success, by Michael Phillips and Salli Rasberry (Nolo).

5. Financial projections.
You need to make sure your business has the potential to be profitable, whether or not you are seeking investors. You will need to make several calculations, including a break-even analysis, a profit-and-loss forecast, a cash-flow projection, and a start-up cost estimate. An accurate projection of your company's financial prospects should also include an analysis of future trends and the possible risks facing your business. For a more detailed description of each calculation, see Nolo's Business Plan Basics.

6. Personnel plan.
Chances are that you'll need some help to run your business. Your personnel plan should state whether you will hire temporary help through an agency, independent contractors, or employees. Include descriptions of the positions that you will need to fill and a staffing schedule. If you've never employed anyone before, see Nolo's Hiring Your First Employee:13 Things You Must Do.

7. Specific business goals.
The purpose of listing your business goals is to determine what you want your business to accomplish for you. Do you want freedom from 9 to 5? More time with your children? It's your wish list, so be specific and enjoy writing it.

8. Statement of personal finances.
If you are seeking investors, a personal financial statement is a must. The statement should list your personal assets, liabilities, income, and expenses. Don't be discouraged if your financial condition is weak. Your backers understand that you need money, and they want to know about you, the good and the bad.

9. Plan summary.
The plan summary introduces and emphasizes the high points of your plan. Its job is to tell readers who you are, what you want to do, how much money you need, and how much money you expect to make, all on one page.

Source: http://www.nolo.com

How to Cure Your Workaholic Addiction

Do you work while on vacation?
Do you check emails on your phone at dinner?
Do you squeeze in one last phone call before leaving the office?
If you're in an unhealthy addictive relationship with work, you're far from alone; so many of us now are working such long hours that it's hard to know what's even normal.
Working hard is a good thing--up to a point. Overwork doesn't help your productivity, and it's harmful to you. It's time to learn how to get back in balance.

Here are some pointers.

1. Learn to shut it down.

Make a pact with yourself that you will not work past a certain time, and honor that time to shut everything down. Learn to walk away.
2. Give yourself a break.

Learn to give yourself breaks during the workday, even if they're small ones. Go out for lunch instead of eating at your desk. Take a short walk around the office or a quick trip to a nearby park--anything that changes the scenery. Even 10 minutes away can make a world of difference.
3. Change your mindset.

You may be among the many people who believe that long hours demonstrate your great work ethic and that those who take breaks (or spend evenings, weekends, and vacations disconnected) are lazy or less committed. But that way of thinking is both inaccurate and unhealthy, so push back when you catch yourself giving in to it. Remember, what you think is what you are.
4. Treat it seriously.

When you are consumed with work and act as if your life were dependent on your job, you're likely damaging your health and relationships. You need to take change seriously. If need be, consider getting help to learn better skills for balancing your life.
5. Don't bring it home.

The hardest test of all! When you go home, make a point of turning off your phone and disconnecting from your email. Instead, take time for friends and family. It's time to be the person who just might be unavailable to work for a while--and unless you're literally saving lives with your job, that's OK.
6. Meditate on it.

More than most people, workaholics need to learn to turn off their thinking mind. The practice of meditation is a great way to make that happen. Take some time every day and consciously slow down, breathe, relax, rest your mind, and feed your heart.
7. Set healthy boundaries.

Many people who are prone to chronic overwork also have trouble setting and maintaining boundaries. As a starting point, make a work schedule and commit to it. If you need to include some late evening or weekend hours, that's fine--but do it intentionally, based on schedules and patterns, not just because you're already there and you haven't yet dropped from exhaustion.
Being a workaholic doesn't benefit anyone--not you, not your team, not your organization, not the world.
You'll be much more effective--not to mention happier--with adequate rest, sleep, breaks, and time to cultivate relationships and interests outside of work. Self-care keeps you on top of your game and in the game.

Source: http://www.inc.com/

How To Break A Deadlock

All too often in a negotiation no matter what negotiation styles or negotiating techniques you are using, when we encounter a deadlock we may want to just give up. After all, a deadlock sure looks like something that is going to prevent both sides from ever being able to successfully reach a deal. However, I've got some good news for you. It turns out that every deadlock can be broken; you just need to know how to go about doing it...

Go Away And Come Back

Deadlocks happen. It's how you deal with them that really matters. When you are faced with a deadlock, one of the easiest things to do is to sidestep the issue. Agree with the other side of the table that the issue that is causing the deadlock is a big issue. Then suggest that both of you table that issue and instead focus on other issues.

By doing this you can prevent the negotiations from grinding to a halt. Instead, you'll be able to continue to make progress on the other issues. Generally the other side will be willing to go along with this strategy.

The goal here is to eventually come back to the issue that was causing the deadlock. The hope is that because you've been able to make progress on the other issues and because some time has passed, what was a big deal is no longer such a big deal. With a little luck, the hostility surrounding this deadlock causing issue will have evaporated.

Use Concessions

A deadlock will cause a negotiation to grind to a halt. What you need to do in order to break the deadlock is to find a way to get the negotiations moving once again.

A great way to make this happen is to make some small concessions to the other side. Give in on some issues that you really don't care about. Once you've done this, ask them to make some concessions to you.

This back and forth of concessions is how you can get things rolling once again. With just a bit of momentum, you may be able to get up enough speed to be able to find your way around the issue that caused the deadlock.

Go "Off The Record"

A deadlock happens when you and the other side of the table can't come to an agreement on an issue. A lot of what has caused the deadlock to occur has to do with the personalities that are involved.

One way to break this deadlock is for you to go "off the record" and reach out to people who have not been involved in the negotiations. Since they were not involved in the discussions that led up to the deadlock, they may be able to show you a way around the deadlock.

What All Of This Means For You

To any negotiator, a deadlock can be a scary thing. It sure looks like the negotiations are going to end without you being able to reach a deal with the other side of the table. However, it turns out that every deadlock can be broken.

In order to break a deadlock, a good first step is to try to sidestep the deadlock causing issue. Go on and deal with other issues and then come back to deal with the "big" issue. You can also make a series of small concessions to the other side and get them to do the same. Once things have started to move again, a deal may now be in sight. Finally, you can always go "off the record" and appeal for help from people at higher levels in both organizations.

Don't let a deadlock halt your next principled negotiation. Instead, by taking the time to understand the people who are involved in the negotiations you will be able to find a way to break the deadlock. Get good at doing this and every negotiation that you are involved in will be able to end in you reaching a deal with the other side.

Source: http://www.blueelephantconsulting.com/

8 Ways to Create Real Customer Loyalty

1. Set up ways to communicate with your customers

Frequent communication with your customers keeps you fresh in their minds and lets you pass along important information.

Take the time to set up a database with contact information such as email addresses, mailing addresses, or phone numbers. Then you can send friendly reminders, birthday greetings, or a monthly newsletter.

Social media is another great way to communicate with your customers on an almost daily basis. Keep in mind that this works better if you limit how many of your communications are actually advertisements.

Don’t forget to throw in messages that are either fun reminders or useful information.
2. Provide extra perks for your most loyal customers

One of the best—and perhaps one of the cheapest—ways to reward customer loyalty is to give extra perks to your most dependable customers. Whether it’s the ability to skip the line, special meet-and-greets, or immediate seating, customers love getting a little something extra.

By setting up a reward system for the most loyal, you not only encourage them to stick around, you also give an incentive for other customers to strive to reach that status.
3. Consider different payment plans

There are some businesses out there that are very seasonal and run into cash flow issues during certain times of the year.

For instance, a wedding shop usually receives most of their sales during the summer months when weddings are in full swing, but during the winter they struggle. One shop decided to offer a payment plan through which customers could start shopping in the winter, and pay a little throughout the months leading up to the wedding, rather than paying all at once.

This plan worked because it helped customers by giving them manageable monthly payments, and it helped the company by bringing in cash during an otherwise slow time of year. In fact, customers were so happy that they often referred the shop to others, and the business saw a nearly 400 percent increase in total sales.
4. Provide great customer service

While this seems like a given, it’s one tip that bears repeating because it’s so important. One survey showed that in 2013, 51 percent of customers ended their relationship with a business because they were unhappy with the service they were receiving.

Customers remember when they’re treated well, and they remember when they’re treated poorly. In either case, they usually tell their friends and family, and that can either mean more business for you or lost business opportunities.
5. Don’t rely too much on technology

Even in our technologically advanced society filled with text messages and emails, we still want the ability to interact with other human beings. Everyone can relate to the frustration of feeling stuck in an endless loop of automated prompts until we bang on the phone keys in hopes of reaching a real human. This is why it’s important to keep in mind that while automated phone systems may save money, highly trained customer service representatives build loyalty.
6. Offer a head start

If you want to start a customer loyalty program like coffee shops use, whereby customers buy a certain number of drinks to earn a free one, consider giving them a head start. This can be as simple as giving them the first two punches on the coffee card for free. If you give your customers a head start on the program, they’re more likely to stick around and finish it.
7. Don’t forget to smile

This is another item that seems obvious, but it’s important enough to keep being reminded of.

A study in the United Kingdom recorded the expressions used to greet customers as they entered a store, and then cross-checked with how much they spent in the store.

The study showed that shoppers who were greeted with a welcome and a smile spent up to 67 percent more than shoppers who were not greeted this way.

While it seems like a small detail, a friendly greeting obviously has important consequences.
8. Give customers a reason to be loyal

Many people believe that Apple has some of the most loyal fans out there. Customers go to great lengths to prove just how much they love the company, with bumper stickers, tattoos, and vehement arguments in favor of all the products.

Source: http://bplans.com